Ken Burns' Vietnam series on PBS

[llmart]

Anyone else watching this series? If you're a baby boomer, it will resonate with you. As usual, Ken Burns has done an amazing job. It's bringing back so many memories from the coming-of-age portion of my life. I realize how much of an impact this war had on many of us. I feel slightly validated that I was antiwar at the time, but oh, the awful scenes and heart wrenching stories of those who lost loved ones.

[DashOneBravo]

1. I'm going to catch it tonight

I was able to catch one of the reruns and thought it was very well done. It didn't plug a bunch of the clips from other documentaries in with it. Everything seemed new.

I especially liked seeing the RVN veterans tell their stories as well. In other documentaries they show high level officers talking about big battles. In this one they had lower ranks and they were discussing the loss they felt for their friends.

[BigmanPigman]

2. Yes, it resumes tonight at the end of 1967.

Burns and Novice wanted to show Vietnam from the Vietnamese point of view too since not many movies or documentaries usually take that approach. I think it has been well done and look forward to the rest of the series.

[Little Star]

3. I have the whole series recording on my dvr......

Haven't started watching yet. It was one series I didn't want to miss.

[hlthe2b]

4. Wrenching... I'm streaming and almost caught up.

It WAS my childhood... While the three assassinations and civil rights struggle book-cased my memories of this period, it had an enduring impact on my worldview.

It is overwhelmingly apparent that we learned NOTHING... and for that I continue to fight the sense of hopelessness I felt back then--even as a child.


sigh....

[llmart]

8. I know!

Watching it I was frustrated thinking about how quickly we (not DU'ers but many people) jumped into the Afghanistan mess and the Iraq mess. I kept thinking, "how stupid are people"? Well, we now know that they are short sighted.

One statistic I didn't know was that only 20% of the Americans that were in Vietnam were actually the ones doing battle. The rest were all in support of some sort.

[Cattledog]

5. The entire series needs to be watched from the beginning because

the early history was eye opening.

[Voltaire2]

6. Less than a wrenching job in my opinion.

Burns seems to be pushing the narrative of a misguided but well intentioned disaster. It wasn't. It was a cynical effort to coerce the Vietnamese people to accept first French and then American rule right from the start.

[llmart]

7. I thought that at the start too...

but when you get deeper into the series I didn't get that at all. I have a Roku box so I was able to watch the first 5 episodes, though I saw today that anything from episode 6 through 10 you had to be a subscriber to PBS (i.e. donate money) to watch at this time. I think they'll release the last 5 episodes later on, hopefully or else I'll just catch them when they're on PBS.

[hlthe2b]

13. They'll release the next five after they've been broadcast.

It is only necessary to be a subscriber to view them EARLY.

[hlthe2b]

12. It is the waste, the human carnage and the failure to learn any lessons that is wrenching...

The documentary is not presented in a tremendously emotional way, but more an intellectual review for the thinking viewer, IMO. But, seeing the failure of our government and people--then and since--to learn the lessons of Vietnam is damned hard to accept and yes, wrenching to behold. That's my view, at least.

[Va Lefty]

9. I cut the cable cord back in July but have watched the first 2 online

Really enjoyed them, especially the 1st one. A lot of back history I did not know. While looking for it on youtube, I stumbled onto a series of CBS segments narrated by Cronkite. They are awesome! Great footage and reporting by Dan Rather, Morely Safer, Richard Threlkeld and Charles Kuralt. Checkout story that starts at 49:06

[llmart]

10. I haven't had cable in years.

I have an antenna that sits on the floor next to my TV and I get 4 different PBS stations in addition to about 20 other stations. I don't watch much TV. The Roku box is great and it was a gift.

[tech3149]

11. I have not and don't intend to watch

Vietnam was and is a pivotal influence on my life. I lost a BIL to Saskatchewan because he wasn't willing to be fed to that useless meat grinder. I had my come to Jesus moment when I was coming to draft age. I spent countless hours in church basement coffee houses and diners talking to anyone that had some real word experience. Those long hours of talks have guided me for all those years.

I've watched some of Burns' so called documentaries before. No matter how well intentioned they are the common aspect is that they are not as informative and reflective as intended. They always seem to be biased to supporting or excusing the dominant power structures for adverse results.

I understand my bias but I have yet to hear a cogent argument that our governments foreign policy is anything less than counterproductive. I don't want to defeat enemies, I want to make those we consider enemies as friends or at least equal partners in the best interest of ALL.

[hlthe2b]

14. My oldest male cousin was the only one to go and I've been hesitant to broach the subject

too much in all these years. I'm wondering if he would feel the same way about watching the documentary.

While i don't think he saw much (if any) combat, I know he was bitter, having had his own small town draft board, headed by our own Grandfather, bump him up to go... Heavens! I always found that inexplicable. But, as hard as it is for me to fathom, men of that generation--especially in rural communities-- had it in their mind that going to war "made the man". Geebus.

[jimlup]

15. This will be interesting viewing for me

I came of age. I was born in '57.

I remember playing army with my friends when I was about 5 and then watching the news and thinking that it was "cool" that there was a "real" war going on. Later my family turned against the war, and, needless to say, my political views became much more sophisticated than my 5 year old boy perspective.

[sinkingfeeling]

16. It's hard. Knew a half dozen draftees who didn't return. Most of

the guys in my high school class who didn't get college deferments, went to Nam.